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‘Rockaby’: Billie Whitelaw stars in Samuel Beckett’s play
11.09.2012
07:44 pm
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Billie Whitelaw stars in Samuel Beckett’s one-woman play Rockaby, which was written in 1980 at the request of Daniel Labeille, to tie-in with a festival and symposium celebrating Beckett’s 75th birthday.

The play focuses on a woman (W),who contemplates her life, and the loss of the things she had been unable to do, leaving her gently, slowly, to her own lonely demise.

““went and sat/at her window/facing other windows/so in the end/close of a long day/in the end went and sat/went back in and sat/at her window”

The play uses repetition, in a similar way a lullaby uses it to comfort a child, but here its purpose is to underscore Beckett’s view of the terrible loneliness and emptiness of the human condition. W searches for some positive affirmation of her life - “a little like.” The chair rocks in time with the words, as if its movement comforts and maintains her life. A dark, and many layered play, that rewards with a second viewing.

As for Whitelaw, she is, as always in Beckett’s plays, perfect.
 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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11.09.2012
07:44 pm
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Krent Able’s new book is deliriously fun
11.08.2012
03:56 pm
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Krent Able’s Big Book Of Mischief is a devilish mix of rock ‘n’ roll satire conjured up in wonderfully wicked graphics and text. Able’s visuals remind me of S. Clay Wilson, a darkly hilarious blend of diabolical images combined with the kind of precise, scalpel-like dissection of pop culture banalities we expect from R. Crumb.

From Lou Reed and Iggy to Nick Cave and Justin Timberlake, no one is spared Able’s poison pen. It’s a lovely bunch of nastiness and you can buy it here.
 

 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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11.08.2012
03:56 pm
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After Man: The post-human art of Dougal Dixon
11.07.2012
09:58 am
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predator bat
In the future, everything will be terrifying
 
Since people are starting to take notice of our most recent natural disasters (at least, when they happen to Americans in large urban centers), it seems the perfect time to start talking about all the cool stuff that could happen evolutionarily, should we kill ourselves without killing all other life, or survive in some adapted form, despite the havoc we’ve wreaked on the planet.

Dougal Dixon’s 1981 book, After Man: A Zoology of the Future is a work of speculative fiction that explores how life on earth might change over millions of years in the absence of humans. Dixon studied geology and anthropology, and is as much a scientist as an artist and writer. His beautiful, eery imaginings of what might be have garnered a cult following among science geeks and artistic types alike

The little darling above is called a Night Stalker, a “flightless predator bat,” that comes with this charming description:
 

He still uses his hind limbs for grasping, but his wings have evolved as legs. Being blind, he uses echolocation to find its prey, therefore his ears and nose flaps have been strongly developed at the expense of his eyes. He is 1.5 meter high and wanders in groups through the the forests at night. Screaming and yelling they hunt mammals and reptiles, which they attack with their pointy teeth and claws.

 
Not everything is so grotesque though. Check out various breeds of Rabbuck, the adorable bunny/deer hybrid!
 
Rabbuck
In the future, there will still be cuteness
 
Dixon’s expertise on dinosaurs may be the root of his focus on aquatic life. We’ve seen animals crawl out of the water, it makes sense that eventually they might go back in. I’m not actually sure he thought through the whole aquatic anteater thing, though. Are there aquatic ants, as well? Or do the anteaters surface?
 
aquatic animals
In the future, there will be slightly different hippos
 
But, if you’re one of those crazy people that finds the prospect of the extinction of man off-putting, Dixon has some speculative fiction for you, too. Dixon’s book Man After Man: An Anthropology of the Future considers our own evolutionary trajectory, in the unlikely event we don’t doom ourselves.

As for us, Dixon seems particularly interested in exploring ideas of dependency. This one focuses on the potential symbiotic lives humans may lead, mind-blowing when you consider how deeply we’ve ingrained the psychological dichotomy between man and animal.

 

future man

In the future, we’ll all have yeti companions to chill with. Or maybe we are the yetis.

 

This one is some straight Cronenberg body-horror, which is probably why I love it.

 

Medical technology has developed ‘soft’ forms of the backups that keep alive the weakening human form. Replacement organs, grown synthetically, are grafted onto the body. Eyes, ears, mouth and nose still function. The fingers work only as organs of touch. Lifting or handling is left to arms grown artificially. Fashion plays a part in such surgery..

 
future man
In the future, we’ll be super goddamn gross and vain.
 

As disconcerting as it may feel, the idea of our own extinction has a strangely soothing effect on me. Right now, it’s difficult to imagine a future that isn’t of the Bladerunner/Brazil/Robocop dystopian variety, and I think the thought of non-human life surviving in spite of us eases my anxiety that we might be a truly toxic species.  And if we do survive, Dixon’s final vision for humans was that we eventually made the earth so unlivable that we adapted to live in the vacuum of space. See? A bit if hope on the horizon! The future’s so bright, I’m wearing shades!

Posted by Amber Frost
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11.07.2012
09:58 am
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Iconic album covers re-imagined with superheroes
11.06.2012
01:54 pm
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Bowie’s Aladdin Sane cover artwork with X-Man Cyclops.
 
German artist Ewe de Witt re-imagines iconic albums with superheroes.

I think the Grace Jones cover with Luke Cage is my favorite.

Check out more of Ewe de Witt‘s superhero album covers at his Cover Parodies section on DeviantART.
 

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon cover artwork with Dr. Strange.
 

Grace Jones’ Living My Life cover artwork with Luke Cage.
 
More photos after the jump…
 

READ ON
Posted by Tara McGinley
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11.06.2012
01:54 pm
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Francis Bacon’s Last Interview, from 1991
11.02.2012
07:54 am
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On seeing an exhibition of Francis Bacon’s work in the summer of 1962, poet Stephen Spender wrote in his journal:

“After Bacon most other contemporary painting seems decoration, doodling, aestheticism or stupidity.”

Like much of the substance to his poetry, Spender could grasp Bacon’s importance, but was unable to explain why - thinking it more to do with “the life of disillusionment he [led] which he [faced] in its implications; perhaps it is the old English puritanism and dislike of pleasure…”

Spender maintained a friendship with Bacon throughout his life, and in August of the same year, visited Bacon at his studio, where they discussed painting.

“F. doesn’t think painting should be a record. It should be an exploration of reality which gives it a new twist. ‘What I am thinking all the time is how in painting I can slightly complicate the game. I can do very little but I think when I am optimistic that I might still live to make the game a bit more complicated.’

....

“F. also went some way towards expanding what he meant by the twist. He said he wanted to do some little thing which gave the image added depth and poignancy.’

Bacon’s intention was to present the ‘brutality of fact,’ to ‘give the sensation without the boredom of conveyance.’  In this his final interview from 1991, Bacon talked about his life and career, and his reasons for painting, but leaving the overview and assessment of his work to others, instead Bacon said, ‘I’ll go on until I drop.’

Presented by critic Richard Cork, this radio interview with Bacon was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Kaleidoscope, August 17, 1991.
 

 
Bonus: Francis Bacon Interviewed by David Sylvester, March 23, 1963.

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:

Notes Towards a Portrait of Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon’s Women
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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11.02.2012
07:54 am
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Notes From The Niallist #8: Krys Fox and the ‘31 Days Of Halloween’
10.31.2012
01:45 pm
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There are people who love Halloween. Then there are people who LOVE Halloween. Like, really, really LOVE Halloween.

Brooklyn-based photographer Krys Fox is one of the latter. To show how much he loves the witching season, Krys has just completed the mammoth feat of of shooting 31 different photos shoots in 31 days—one for each day of October—with each shoot based around one of his favourtie horror movies. Now THAT is dedication to the Halloween spirit! I sent Krys some questions to find out what had inspired him to undertake this epic task, why invert the gender roles in these photos, and what got him in to photography in the first place…
 

 
THE NIALLIST: So, how are you handling Hurricane Sandy? That seems like a real horror movie. Has it affected your shoots?

KRYS FOX: Hurricane Sandy scared me last night. It got violent out there. Our building in Brooklyn was shaking and swaying. It sounded like a monster was out there in the wind. Very much like a scary movie. Luckily, we didn’t lose power. Just internet and cable… and I own a LOT of movies so we just had a movie marathon. Halloween, The Mist, Hide & Seek and Sleepy Hollow were our films… As far as my shoots go, I shot four on my last day, I finished the last shot for the series at 9pm on Saturday night. The subways and buses were already shut down by then (and still are) so, I walked a half an hour back home (with all my props, equipment and camera on me) while Sandy started getting windy. It was a bit freaky, but also pretty cool. It was eerie outside and fun to be in it before it got too serious. So, I lucked out. If the storm had started a day earlier, I wouldn’t have finished this epic project.
 

 
More photos, and questions with Krys, after the jump. Let’s see, can you name the horror movies referenced in his work?
 

READ ON
Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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10.31.2012
01:45 pm
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Rap activity and coloring book
10.30.2012
03:25 pm
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For those who haven’t seen this yet: Bun B’s rap activity and coloring book on Tumblr. The illustrations—by Shea Serrano—are all downloadable.

Hours of entertainment for the entire family! Now get those crayons to work! 
 

 
Via Nerdcore

Posted by Tara McGinley
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10.30.2012
03:25 pm
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‘My Precious’: HUGE Gollum installation in airport
10.29.2012
11:40 am
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Words cannot describe how much I adore the massive installation—3-metre wide—of Gollum catching a fish by Weta for the Wellington Airport in New Zealand.

Obviously, it’s clever marketing to get folks pumped for The Hobbit, which will be released in theaters on December 14, 2012. But who cares, right? This piece is amazing!


 

 

 
Via Booooooom!

Posted by Tara McGinley
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10.29.2012
11:40 am
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Tentacled H. P. Lovecraft Sculpture
10.29.2012
10:55 am
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An H.P. Lovecraft faux bronze bust by Lee Joyner.

According to Joyner’s Facebook page, the busts should be availble to purchase “in the next few days.”

Via Superpunch

Posted by Tara McGinley
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10.29.2012
10:55 am
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If you were forced at gunpoint to drive a car with Obama’s face on it, which one would you choose?
10.25.2012
09:54 am
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Obama Car
Photo by Terricia Soyombo, via dcist
 
As far as cults of personality go, Americans simply don’t have the panache of say, North Korea; It’s not really our fault—fanatical idolatry just blooms more lushly under fascism. Regardless, when we do manage the odd hothouse icon, our graven images are something to behold.

Now, I’m leaning towards towards the car in the video below because I’m a fan of both Crown Vics and terrible airbrushing. My background in the milieu trends more towards bald eagles and herds of wild horses crossing shallow yet tempestuous streams at a full gallop (rather than civil rights leaders and centrist presidents), but airbrushed American flags definitely hold a place in my tacky heart. The actual airbrush skill isn’t exactly refined, but I think it adds to the charm.

The newcomer above however, spotted in DC, is so sleek and modern. It even has the hashtag “#obamascar” on the side; I like that it knows how to network. And from a logistical standpoint, how do you even chrome a whole car? There’s also the subversive aspect of putting Obama’s face on a Cadillac, which became racist code for the layabout poor, post-Reagan. This is clearly a car of conscious liberal dissent—a big shiny “fuck you”—which I like.

As a composition though, I feel the polish of the chrome car can’t match the humanity of airbrushed Obama car, so I say airbrush wins. Plus the chrome car reminds me of the Enola Gay, with the president as pin-up nose art. Maybe they can use Obama Chrome as the visual inspiration for our next line of drones?

But what say you? Is it worse to be a low-rent cheesy, or a really well-executed cheesy? Which is the ugliest Obama car?
 

Posted by Amber Frost
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10.25.2012
09:54 am
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